Ironman Texas - Only $140.60!

It has been quite a while since I have scribed my thoughts and views in this little blog of mine.  So I had a little free time and have decided to jot my thoughts down and give you a review of my last race Ironman Texas.

The race is in a beautiful location known as The Woodlands.  This is, as my brother-in-law kept saying, a planned community.  It is just northwest of Houston, TX and has everything an athlete and spectator may need.  The town surrounds what is called the Waterfront where bars and shopping line a system of canals wide enough to accommodate a water taxi system. My wife and I chose this location due to timing and what our schedule would allow.

The training leading up to our race was quite eventful.  We had the coldest winter in quite sometime.  And the spring winds did not allow for many safe rides outside.  By the time Texas rolled around we may have gotten four long rides outside all of which in winds with steady 20mph breezes, no open water work, and numerous treadmill workouts due
to weather concerns.  So we got to the race venue with some big questions, though one answer we had was no matter how windy it was we could definitely manage that.

We took our Iron-sherpas, Jessica and Brandon (my sister and her husband). They wanted to come as they have had a blast at our previous Ironman races. We left the children at home and struck out for a long weekend in southern Texas. The drive was thankfully uneventful and only took 14 and 1/2 hours!  We arrived at The Woodlands on Thursday with the race taking place on Saturday.  We got checked in and began to hydrate and eat in preparation of the days to come. Our hotel was only about 1.5 miles from the race site and all accommodations were easily accessible by bike or a short walk.

Friday was our warm-up day.  It would be our first open water swim of the year! Air temp was mid 70's and the water temp was 71.4 degrees.  Prior to the swim we looked at last year and saw that it tended to be a warm swim.  This year was unseasonably cool. Which worked well for us.  We had brought both our wetsuits though my wife likes to use mine and I don't like to wear one if I don't have too.  The practice swim was perfect. My wife and I entered the murky water and swam for the entire 800 yards.  The water was cool but definitely tolerable without a wetsuit, especially for 2.4 miles.

The rest of the day after we checked our bikes, we sat out by the pool read our books and just chilled.  The evening brought about a glass of wine and early to bed.  Did I happen to mention it was also our 15th wedding anniversary! We couldn't have imagined a better way to celebrate.  The next morning our sherpas arrived right on time and we headed out to the transition area to drop our bags and make the mile walk to the swim start.  Along the walk we saw a man wearing diving goggles and a snorkel offering "Swim un' Lessons for only $140.60" which brought levity to our perceived death walk!

The Swim:

The swim is a mass tread water start with an out and back then a turn to the right into the canal system. I swam in my trusty speedo and an old pair of goggles. Though by the time the gun went off only about 1/2 the racers were in the lake.  Thankfully Kerrie and I had headed out early and swam to the back of the mass chaos.  My swim was smooth until the first turn which was a fend for yourself and thank goodness you made the turn moment.  I made the second left to head to the canal relatively unscathed. I found nice open water and just felt at ease.  Making the turn into the canal I had to be aware of the narrow concrete walls on either side.  As much as I tried to stay in the middle of the canal I kept finding myself skirting the wall.  The swim is unique also in the fact that my sister was able to walk along and follow us for the entire mile into transition.  I made the final buoy only 50 feet from the exit and absolutely got clobbered.  Apparently the two guys behind me felt it was more important to grab and pull then to exit calmly.  I stopped my stroke proceed to turn around and let them know to chill out. All in all my swim was a PR at 1:14:02 (1:13:00 at the exact exit).

The Bike:

In transition I made the change to bibs and my tri top.  My fueling was one water bottle (to be changed at every water stop), one electrolyte bottle (24 oz. 2x Vega mix to be changed at bag pickup @ mile 60), 2 PRO Bars, 6 Chia bars (I carried 1/3 picking up the other half at bag pickup).  The fueling was good.  I actually had to stop twice to pee at mile 20 & 60, both of which were good signs given the rising temperature and humidity. The route was a single loop of 112 miles incorporating parts of Sam Houston National Forest which was beautiful.  Winds were out of the southwest at around 15 mph. The ride went Northwest and coming back Southeast in a circle. It was scenic and rolling course.  The around mile 70 we got onto a highway for about 20 miles that was a chip seal road that rattled through your bones and was impossible to find a smooth route.  I had to work hard not to go fast as the course leaned to my strengths on the bike so I kept a steady cadence and really rode well. I had worked through some packs and was relatively on my own for quite a large part of the ride. I rode a disc on the rear and tri spoke on the front and it felt like butta.  Rode a PR at 5:24:00 at an average speed of 20.7mph.

The Run:


The run course was a three loop course of 8 miles.  This took you past the finish line twice, through a beautiful neighborhood, some bike trails, and finally a raucous Waterfront which absolutely energized me.  I had changed into a short pair of running shorts and the same tri top I wore on the bike. My fuel was going to be completely course supported carrying only 2 Chia packets with 2 more at bag pickup.  My plan was to run/walk the first loop.  I ran for 10 min then walked for 2 min, which I followed and felt pretty good.  On the second loop I began to feel a bit bloated and tried to use the potty with no avail. I had stopped sweating and knew these were bad things. I made the conscious decision to walk the next loop in hopes that my stomach would pass whatever was stopping me up.  I took in a sip of coke, water, ice, and powerade (totally gross and I think the ultimate cause of my discomfort). With every loop the Waterfront area was an absolute party area with 3 miles of tents, drinking, fans 3-4 deep, and nice swat on the butt at every bridge.   The last loop I found my sister and I changed out of my tri top into a soft cotton shirt which was heaven. I began to feel a bit better and started to run a bit, especially running the last mile. Crossing the line felt amazing.  The energy was great and it was a PR!  My first IM marathon under 6 hours.  5:59:00 with a total IM time of 12:52:09.

I met up with my sister and B-in -law at the finisher chute.  They had said that Kerrie was about one loop behind me.  I told them I would go get some fluids and wait for her under the bridge and would then let them know she was coming so we parted ways.  We had 4 cell phones between us and questionable batteries in all.  I grabbed a cold pop and could barely stomach it.  I made my way down the stairs to the Canal to wait for Kerrie to pass by.  It was about an hour and some until I saw her.  At which time I had then moved into the finisher chute to award her her medal which the directors were going to let me do.  I sat down to relax and waited, and waited, and waited.  I looked and wondered where she was and why she had not crossed! I knew when to expect her and it was now an hour and 15 minutes past that time! I gave up hope, I had a dead cell phone, my sister had dead cell phone, no way to contact and find out where everyone was.  I slowly walked out of the chute hoping to see her and sure enough out of the darkness I hear her call me.  I was so relieved and came to find out later she was 5 feet from me, but I was out of it and completely missed her come through at the time I thought she would be there.

All in all it was a great race.  My wife did amazing. I am so proud.  We missed the boys and a special thanks to our iron-sherpas who really went above and beyond to help us enjoy this goal.

4th Time's a Charm - Glaveston 70.3 Reviewed

For the fourth year in a row my dad and two boys travelled with me to the southern coast of central Texas.  A lovely sea town called Galveston.  Many people ask, why there or just plan why?  For them I answer and ask, "Have you lived through an Iowa winter, why not?"  I find that this race gives me a great goal to work for through the winter months.  The winter training helps to build the mental toughness required to be successful in endurance sports.  It is also a nice way to see my fitness level and experiment with any new methods I may be trying to employ.  With that being said the trip has been a nice way for my boys and dad to have some "guy time" and get away for a bit.

With that being said on to the guts of the review.  Galveston poses two main challenges to me every year.  The first is heat and the second is wind.  The swim is a tread water start in a protected salt water bay on the north side of the island with two left hand turns.  The bike (wind) is then ridden on the south side of the island going from southwesterly then turning around and heading northeasterly on an unprotected coastal road.  The run (heat) is then concluded in a 3 loop run within one of the feature attractions of Galveston, Moody Gardens.

The race start for the pro wave was at 7am, I say that because my wave did not start until 7:55am.  The sun was up, calm, waters, and overcast skies. Water temp at race start was 65 degrees, air temp was 64, I thought I wouldn't notice the difference, I was wrong! I wore a sleeveless long john wetsuit and used the full 3 minutes of tread to acclimate to the water temp. At the gun and for the first time I had really no significant event in the water.  There were a few interactions here and there with various swimmers but mostly just a nudge to let folks know I was there.  It was a smooth and steady swim. Total swim time for 1.2 miles: 35:10 (1:49 avg 100, 74 out of 539 in age group).

Clouds were still covering the sky but the winds had picked up.  I had planned for the wind though.  This was my fourth attempt here and have become accustomed to the steady blow that is the wind off the Gulf of Mexico.  The course starts south to the seawall and then we turn right and the journey begins 24 miles to the turnaround.  The wind was at my back, so I decided to ride a bit conservatively knowing I had a long push back into a strong headwind (20mph steady from the east) that would be unrelenting.  At the turn I was averaging about 23 mph, following the turn my speed did drop but not too much.  This year they did make a change into how we returned to transition in that we rode on a dilapidated airport tarmac.  This was a crazy place to ride, lots of cracks, potholes, two cones to mark a nearly 3/4 mile course, and even aircraft tiedown hooks.  I avoided all of them, luckily. Total bike time for 56 miles: 2:28:59 (22.55 avg mph, 39th out of 539 age group).

Coming off a year of ultra endeavors I have had an epiphany about my running.  Enjoy.  Enjoy the time, Enjoy the experience, and absorb it all.  I focused on heart rate, pace, and thanking everyone I came across.  My plan was to run in between every aid station and to finally beat the Texas heat that has always taken it's toll on my body and usually left me wilted and beaten.  This year it was not going to end that way. I left transition with an easy pace and focused on my first lap to keep my heart rate in the 140's.  Mission accomplished. 

My second lap, felt just as good though I was dealing with a new issue that I failed to prepare for - I had developed two blisters (big) encompassing the middle part of my big toe to the ball of my foot.  Both feet had the same blistering.  I never wear socks, though I have recently been wearing a new pair of shoes that would not allow for sockless wear.  So I had to gut it up and gut it out. At mile 6.5 nature called and a potty break was in order following that I readjusted my socks and continued on my merry way. Aimed to keep my heart rate in the 150's, and again Mission Accomplished.

The final lap, was just awesome.  I was relaxed.  I even felt like I had a kick.  My breathing was easy and my feet were screaming!  Every walk through the aid station caused a recurrance of the pain until I could get back to speed and ignore the burning under my feet. I skipped the last aid station and focused on finishing strong and steady.  Heart rate was to be damned and all I wanted to see was my boys cause that meant the end was near!  I finished strong, running all the way through.  Mission Accomplished.   Total run time: 2:07:47 (9:45 avg pace, 91st out of 539 age group)  Total race time: 5 hrs 18 min 48 secs

This past year I have made many changes to how I approach my races, training, and life in general and I have finally reaped the rewards. 
My nutrition for race day:
Pre swim: two scoops stone cut
 oats and a cup of coffee
Bike: two packages Earth's Best Baby food - pumpkin and squash flavor, one bottle (20oz) electrolytes, 8 oz Ensure, new water bottle every aid station
Run: water/electrolyte mix every aid station, one Baby Food packet pumpkin and squash

I tried to never focus on a time goal.  For once I never looked for an overall time during the race.  I just let the race happen.  I followed my plan and it worked.  So often folks follow a training plan but never have a plan for the race.  They focus solely on a time.  By focusing on my race plan I was able to walk away satisfied and happy with a solid performance.  Thanks to all those that followed me during the day and those that sent well wishes.  I encourage you to go to www.atcp.org and make a donation.  In your upcoming season seek a purpose in what you are doing, make a plan, and execute it.  Then you too can walk away satisified and ready for the next step.

Shameless Plug, but you must read on!

NOTE: To my normal readers, this is a shameless plug blog.  I encourage you to read and then make your own informed choice the next time you decide to put in a spinning video. There is no financial gain, nor is there any contract between me and the great team at the SUFFERFEST.

I was going through all the many inboxes I have and doing a little winter cleaning.  I found that I had one email of the upmost importance that I was not aware of.  I recieved an opportunity to download, preview, ride too, and then send in my thoughts on a new spinning video.  Well here it is, two and a half months later and the video has hit the market, and I (finally) got  it as a gift from a friend.

In the upper midwest I spend a lot of time on the trainer especially in the winter months.  I have experimented with a wide varitey of training tools while on the turbo. Movies, old triathlons, cheesy 90's trainer videos, and then my world was turned upside down when a friend turned me on to this new video series by the guys at Sufferfest.  I quickly went to the lab (not so much a lab as it is a cold dark room with my bike and a turbo) and played this new video.  It surely had to be different than all the basic videos out there.  I mean a guy can only take so much synthesized music and a man standing there talking to you while watching other people on their turbos.

Well I found that the SUFFERFEST videos were much more than a training tool.  The manner in which they can suck you in is amazing.  Real music, real race footage, various perspectives, and a sarcastic tone to boot!  This has become my most favorite training tool to date.  When it comes to spinning there truly is no substitute.  I am hoping to someday become worthy enough to wear the title of minion.

The newest entry into the stable of videos available at www.thesufferfest.com entitled "The Wretched" is in my opinion outstanding.  Basing the workout on the course from the 2012 Olympics as well as Tour footage keep the workout moving and make you feel like you truly are racing the top pros.  The music is fitting and I have found it to always meet the pace at the right time.  Plus where else can you race with the top pros and beat them, because you can not let your homeland of Sufferlandria down.

When it comes to spin videos there are none that hold a candle to the Suffefest stable.  I am never one to use my blog as an endorsing or money making device, so rest assured there is no financial gain on my end.  There is only pain and motivation. 

When you get ready to hit the turbo, and you plug in your Sufferfest video of choice, you begin the journey of representing Sufferlandria.  Avoid the flogging, and earn your place on the national team.  Keep to the cadence, pass up the donuts, and don't get caught looking at the butterflies.  The Sufferfest welcomes you with open arms, if only you can get your legs to shut up long enough to hold you upright. 

Now quit reading and get ready to set your goals for 2013 a bit higher.

Effort, Courage, Commit - A guest blog

I was kindly reminded the other day that I have not written a blog in a while.  Well I truly apologize to my loyal readers for this.  I have always intended this blog to be well thought and introspective.  For that to be its' purpose it often takes me a while to have inspiration hit.  With that said, my eldest son Connor (11), took it upon himself to write an entry for me.  I read it.  It was pretty good.  Apparently some lessons I preach at home are starting to take hold.  So enjoy this entry courtesy of Connor:

"Effort... It is not what you do, it is how you do it.  Without effort you have no courage.  And without courage you have no leadership.  And without leadership you have no effortand that brings us back to the beginning.

You also need to commit to the effort.  If you don't commit all the effort will fade away a little at a time.  You commit to the things that you do most in other ways they are called habits.

Some habits can be good but others can be bad.  You don't want too many bad habits because they can get you in trouble.  Like you have a lying habit it could get you in trouble if you do it too much.

So without effort, courage, and if you don't commit to what you are doing you are not a very wise person or how some people would say it, you have no guts.  So you need those also with bravery to sometimes do what is right."

I know my son put a lot of effort into the piece above.  Like him many of us are unsure of where to put our efforts.  It takes courage to stand for the things you think are right.  The past couple of months have seen some changes in our household.  We have had many conversations about what it takes to not only be successful but what it means and what takes be an individual.  Connor is learning as is little Cooper.  If I may add to my son's thoughts a bit, a couple of adjectives he left out were pride and purpose.

Connor is on the right path.  It takes time and understanding to be all of the adjectives we described above.  But above all things it takes someone to be true and honest with themselves and with those around them.  Once that happens the effort, courage, commitment, pride, and purpose will all fall into place.  In this holiday season take time to be with your families and have the conversations about what it is that makes your family tick.



 If we can all find that ground we can all share and stand proudly on, it should be a great and very interesting 2013.

Passion, Purpose, and Fortitude

   This year has been nothing less than eventful.  I challenged myself to accomplish feats that just years ago I mocked. I found a passion that I did not know lived inside of me.  My wife accomplished a feat that was years in the making with a finish that the both of us will remember for all our years.
   Throughout the year I kept focused on two main points: passion and purpose.  Those two nouns really grew to mean a lot to me.  They are truly symbiotic in nature.  You cannot have purpose without passion, and to have passion there must be purpose.  In all my endeavors this year I had held my purpose close to my heart. I wanted to not only raise money and awareness for the charity that I championed, but I wanted my sons to really see that a single person could make a difference.
   I was able to show my boys purpose.  And I think that they could definitely see the passion.  Some of our best moments were the saturday Bernstein family workouts.  Kerrie had her pacer Cooper on the bike while she ran, and I had Connor pacing me on my long runs that seemed like forever.  I don't think he will ever understand what it meant to me to have him by side while I ran for 5 hours. He showed me something that day, and I think he got what I was showing with my effort; not so much my words.

   So with our summer behind us and fall in full swing, we come to our newest noun - Fortitude. 

      Fortitude: mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty.

   The offseason poses so many challenges to a hopelessly addicted athlete.  We struggle with balancing how much time to take off to heal versus the amount of activity we must do to stay sane. It is also the time we take to reflect and begin to think about goals for the year to come.  I think with the year the Bernstein family has just put in the books we have a lot to look back on.  Even harder will be the setting the goals to come. 
   With my recovery in full swing I have already set sights on 2013 goals.  I am focused on the passion and purpose that carried me through the year and it is my hope to stay on the track of helping others do the same.  When we hit the winter I know that it is time to really dig deep.  Push when the weather says stay in bed, stretch and move when the snow flies.  Get out and enjoy what I have and discover what I have yet to achieve. 
   The offseason will be met with fortitude.  No matter the challenge, we will rise to meet it.  I have accomplished a lot but there is so much more to come.  Get ready Bernstein family, as well as the rest of you, 2013 is gonna be big.

Ironman Louisville 2012: A Family Affair

It is quite hard at times to find the ability and words to put overwhelming feelings down on paper.  But this time that is not the case.  I will give you, my readers, a race report along with some personal feelings from my past experience with Ironman Louisville 2012.  This year's race was met with a completely different philosophy from the get go and I think it proved to be the right one.  To first understand my race report I want to give you some song lyrics to keep in mind that pulled me through my darkest hours. The song is by Egypt Central, titled "Kick Ass".  My theme song for 2012.

Now is the moment
I waited for
I can't be broken
I settled the score
I will not quit
So stand up, up, up

...

Conquer the weakness
Work through the pain
I can't be defeated
I will remain
I will not quit
So stand up, up, up

Stand up
Get your hands up
Move
Are you ready to
Are you ready to...

Are you ready to kick ass

This year as you may or may not know I raced with my wife for the first time in a long time.  Many of my friends constantly asked and wondered how it would play out.  Was I going to wait, was I going to just race, what exactly were my plans?  Well for the most part I kept those cards close to me.  I knew I would finish with my wife, but I did not want to put any pressure on her as this was her first IM.

The swim for IM Louisville is in a river where you swim upstream for about 3/4 mile and then make the turn and swim back for the remaining 1 and 3/4 mile for a total of 2.4 miles. The water temperature was 84-85 so no wetsuit.  Kerrie and I hit the dock running and entered the water together off seperate docks in time trial fashion.  I was hoping to swim with her but it was a bit chaotic with negotiating around several hundred others that were already in the water. I saw her once before the turn but that was it.  My swim this year was phenomenal and uneventful.  I was relaxed and I did not puke! I pulled for about the first mile and a half then kicked into a stronger stroke for the remainder of the time.  I exited the water in 1 hour 14 min a 16 min PR from my first IM.

I came out of the water into transition just amped.  I asked my family if Kerrie had come out and they said not yet.  Kerrie and I had agreed that we would race our own races, but I still worried and wanted to ride with her.  I hit the changing tent.  Put on my bibs and tri jersey, filled up my pockets and headed out to get my steed. My plan was to go easy on the pedals for the first 50 miles or so. The course is very rolling but it is easy to get caught up in going too hard since the first 12 miles is dead flat and very fast.  I managed to hold back and kept my cadence high (90) which is my normal spin. There is an out and back section with a steep decline into a long climb and then back again.  On my return on this leg I saw Kerrie for the first time, she had the largest smile I could imagine and this set my mind at ease.  I was about 6 miles ahead of her at this time and I knew this was the last time I'd see her until the run. The ride went without any event.  The heat had kicked in and there was no relief from the sun.  The roads are smooth but the wind was noticeable.

I had gone through the bottles on my bike and all along I knew I was going to use my special needs bag.  This was the only planned stop I was going to make.  I had swtiched off my speed in order to focus on time for feeding etc.  It is a good thing I did this in hindsight because I would have pushed a bit harder to hit my goal of 20 mph average.  This would have caused some serious problems to occur earlier in the race.  As it was I finished the bike course of 112 miles in 5 hours and 41 mins. Averaging 19.8mph and a 45 min PR from my first IM.  Entering back into transition it was now time to start on my gameplan to finish with Kerrie, the looming question of how was going to be answered very quickly.

I had the same run plan as I did in my ultra.  My pace would be steady but slow.  I would try to maintain a low HR as best as possible at least and fuel constantly.  The IM Louisville run course is a two loop course that is very flat.  The only hills consist of running on a bridge to Indiana and back then running under two road bridges in the U of L area.  Other than that the run course offers no shade and is concrete/asphalt the entire way.  The temp again had risen to 94 degrees and visions of my first time here quickly returned. I had run the first three miles at an easy pace, walked the bridge and was feeling tired but ok.  I went through mile 6 when I started to feel the ominous "this is going to get ugly" feeling.

I began to walk but a quick enough pace to average 4.5 mph.  I knew I was on pace to shatter my first IM time, but I quickly reminded myself that was not why I was here this time.  At mile 10 I saw Kerrie again.  She was smiling still, running, and having a great race and at mile 4.  She asked me how I was, and I did not have enough filter to lie.  I said I am not well but we will finish. We shared a kiss and I told her not too worry and enjoy the moment, but not sure if she heard this.  As I continued to walk the world was growing dark, not because of clouds or shade or a tunnel, but because dehydration had set in with a fury.

There is a moment when you are severly dehydrated that you feel euphoric in a sense.  I must have appeared as a drunk man as I staggered from one side of the lane to the other.  My progress had slowed to a near crawl.  Doubts of a finish quickly began to fill my head and quitting became a real possibility.  I passed my family at mile 13 or so, and they knew I was not well.  I told them not too worry that I could fix was wrong somehow.  I walked past them a bit ashamed of my appearance and sad in the fact that I told my boys not to run along side of me because of how I felt. I told them mom was coming and they needed to be there for her.

About a mile down the road, for the first time ever in a race I stopped.  I sat on the curb and tried to contemplate what was wrong and how would I fix it.  Some fellow racers grabbed my hand helped me up and said that it was not time to rest yet.  I would thank them by name but I do not remember them.  One of them gave me some salt tablets which started my road to recovery.  I walked to the next aid station where again I sat, this time with a medic nearby.  I decided to take all the time I needed, and fortunately took a 10 or 15 minute nap in the grass.  When I woke I had some chicken broth which brought light back into my eyes.

I got up and thanks to Egypt Central and the will of me wanting my finish with Kerrie, I began to walk again.  I even began to run!  I ran to a cone then walked to a cone.  This really got my spirits up.  Thank goodness for Swanson Chicken Broth!!  My strength was returning and I had made the final turnaround to head back to the finish line.  At about 3/4 mile after the turnaround I saw my friend Amy, and shortly after Kerrie.  She looked amazing.  She was still smiling.  I hollared that I can't wait to finish with her and I'd see her soon.  I was soon joined by my friend Rusty, Amy's husband and he shared some pedal time as I walked.  It was great having him there for a bit.  I had fought through so much and really needed to chat at someone.  So a big thanks to him.

I approached the second to last turn before the finish and stopped.  It was here at mile 25.75 that I waited for Kerrie.  I knew she wasn't far behind and I couldn't wait for her so we could finish together.  It had taken 10 years to come to this point.  Kerrie got me started in triathlon many years ago, she had never beaten me.  This time she had beaten me.  No matter the time on the clocks, she deserved for this to be her day.  She nudged me at the line and we embraced following those words,"Jason & Kerrie Bernstein YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

Kerrie's time - 14hrs 59 min 00 sec   My time - 14 hrs 59 min 03 secs

The day was long. The anticipation drove me crazy and every step I took was one with emotion and feeling.  We took this journey together.  From every run, ride, swim, babysitter, and everything in between we did this together.  I could not have been more proud of the final moment on 4th St.  Watching Kerrie hug our boys, seeing them look up at her and being so proud.  They sacrificed a lot this summer.  More than most boys should.  But in the end they were the ones that wore the medals. The lessons of Ironman don't just apply to training, nutrition, and race day execution.  They carry over to every facet of life.  Balance, communication, patience, love, and sacrifice.  There are so many feelings to describe the day, but it I can try to sum it up with "Be in the moment".  These were the words we worked and sacrificed by.

A heartfelt thanks goes to:
Connor & Cooper- the two best sons a dad could ask for, Mom & Dad Bernstein & Jessi & Brandon Cain (Sydney too) - you are our Iron Sherpas!
Kristy & Dustin- Always had a bottle of wine ready, and a phone close by.
Craig, Ellen, Tammy, Tammy, Joe, Brad, Amy, Tami, Brooke - Thanks for sharing some of the miles

And all of our friends that followed the journey and whispered or shouted support throughout the day.

55.4 Miles of Pure Enjoyment

This past weekend was a mile marker in my career as an endurance athlete.  I am currently sponsored by a new organization called Worth the Hurt.  In agreeing to be sponsored by them I have dedicated my season to racing for the charity of my choice.  I chose A-T Children's Project, a charity I have worked with for the past 3 years.  Worth the Hurt, or WTH, asked me to come and run the inaugural ultra-marathon in San Francisco.  Ultimately we ran the San Francisco marathon from finish to start and back again, 52.4 miles of pure fun.  Now I know I titled this 55.4 miles of fun but I will get to that.

My wife and I had never been to San Francisco, so I figured what better way to see the city, right?  Kerrie accompanied me as my everything.  Officially she was a bike marshall on the course but she proved to be my biggest asset throughout the entire weekend.  I also had my mentor Tim Borland on my support crew. He has been truly invaluable to me for the experience he has given and he is the reason I got involved with WTH and AT Children's Project.

So I guess I can fastforward a bit. The Saturday morning of race day was interesting.  We had photo and media shoots, then a special panel discussion in which I got to speak to the crowd and share my story and sage wisdom when it comes to all things endurance.  Following the media session we had another photo shoot, then lunch.  The race was slated to start at midnight.  With the time change (going from CST to PST) and a quiet hotel room I was able to get to sleep around 4pm.

Both Kerrie and I rose about 9pm.  My prerace meal consisted of a hearty salad and water.  It neared 10:15pm and the fun was just about ready to begin.  Since Kerrie and Tim were bike marshalls they rode to the finish line where we were to start about 2 miles from the hotel.  I chose to ride a taxi versus Kerrie's handlebars.  I was at the WTH tent where most of the other runners were getting ready.  There was a true sense of comraderie and OMG in the air.  I prepped my Camelbak, fuel belt bottles, and had a cup of coffee.  I was pumped and ready to run, though I had no idea what to expect since I have never run this far in my life.

We did one more media shoot for one of our sponsors Celliant.  Then it was time to gather at the makeshift start line for the anthem and rules.  We were made aware prior to the event that our first marathon would be self supported, open course, run by headlamp and map, with four madatory check points.  It was dark, it was midnite, and it was about to get very real.



The start line

My plan as had been all along was to walk any hill, keep my heart rate below 130 for the first 26.2 miles, fuel every 5 minutes in some manner, and relax.  At the start line there was a lot of experience and only a couple of us(me included) that had never done what I was about to do.  At the sound GO, I began my trot.  The course started flat.  It was dark and about 50 degrees with a light mist. The first four miles were relatively uneventful.  We ran the coast a bit, turned and ran around McCovey Cove and Giant's Ballpark. Then turned inland.  This is where it got a bit interesting.
Did you know San Francisco is not flat.  I did know this but I did not know the severity of slope.  We began to work our way up into the hill that lasted about 2 miles at about a 28% incline. This was the most interesting two miles I have run/walked in a long time.  It was near closing time on the busiest bar strip (Haight Ashbury).  We went from gang territory, to gay bars, to gang, and back.  I only bumped into one drag queen, who was dressed quite eloquently.  Before I knew it I was at the top of the hill and about to enter an even darker area; Golden Gate Park.

For the next 6 miles or so we ran in the park, lost and unsure of which direction to go.  No lights, one map, and no road signs.  A corrections officer was overheard saying, "We should not be here".  But what is life without adventure?  Well I eventually found the way through the park with the asisstance of our random road crew and my wife manning the map.  We left the park and ran an out and back along the shore, where it got very cold and wet and all you heard was the sound of the crashing waves, couldn't really see them though, after all it was 3 am.  Following the shore line run and a missed turn around point, I hit check point 2 and told Kerrie let's go.  For the next two hours she and I were together, in San Francisco.  It was rather uneventful until the last 1/2 mile or so, when I knew we were close on time.  We were asked to be back to the start line by 5am because we were to start with 25,000 other runners on the second marathon. 

One done One to GO. Kerrie on the bike

I hit the gas, and started to part the standing around runners.  It was pretty cool to have people clearing the way ahead of you, I felt like a celebrity.  I got to the WTH tent with 5min to spare.  I was happy, pumped, and ready to go potty!  I was pretty ready to go right into run number 2.  I grabbed a bannana, restocked my Camelbak, fuel belt, and rolled out my muscles and started on run number two around 5:20am.  The second run was approached with the same run/walk plan.  Everything looked different.  Though on this run we ran an out and back across the Golden Gate Bridge.  The fog was pretty thick so no pictures were taken. 

I followed my plan well and was feeling strong, even to the point that I was running faster than my first marathon. I hit mile 19 (48 or so) and the wall hit again.  Yes AGAIN!  I had to slow which was not entirely bad.  Though I now faced the Haight Ashbury hill again only this time it went down.  I ended up walking the entire way.  My legs hurt, my feet hurt, and I did not want to fall and roll two miles to the bottom.  Once it flattened out I began my pacing and trotted in to a welcome finish line. Where yes I got the hug I had been waiting for for 10 hours.  As I said in my media shoots, my favorite part of any race is the hug that I get from my wife Kerrie.

Worth the Hurt Athletes

All in all this was an awesome event. Despite a couple of wrong turns that extended our run it was truly more mental than physical. I was very nervous having never run as far as I did.  The recovery sucks, but the run was amazing.  Having a purpose behind it meant even more.  I am racing for AT Children's Project and Worth the Hurt.  I have to thank Wendi Chapman and Allison Falk and their staff yes Gordon, Jenny, and Maddie too for taking care of me and making sure I got anything I needed.  Thanks to our sponsors CamelBak and Celliant.  Thank you to some amazing other runners that were sponsored along with me: Brian, Kevin, Meredith, Ashley, & Dan.  It was awesome finally meeting you and and an honor to have shared the time together.

Thanks to Tim for his insight, and confidence in my abilities.  He inspired me and encouraged me in every step I took and continue to take for AT.  Lastly Kerrie.  Without whom I would still be running trying to find Old Merchants Road.  I love you.  You are my rock and strength.  With you anything I do is impossible.  Ironman ain't got nothing on us baby. 

The best support crew ever.  Kerrie & Tim Borland

For those interested in the numbers:
1st marathon 29 miles:
4 hours 58 min
avg HR 133 burned 4501 calories

2nd marathon 26.2 miles:
4 hours 50 min
avg HR 144 burned 5060 calories

Second marathon, check!